Saying Goodbye
by Chereche
Summary: For his son's safety, Burt has to help his son leave home. It's not an easy moment for either of them.


The past few days had passed in a daze for Kurt. He had never thought that his life could be turned upside down so quickly, but the fact that he was standing here beside his father, suitcase in hand, said otherwise. He had been fairly numb until this moment, moving on auto-drive as his father had announced first his withdrawal from McKinley (with immediate effect), his enrolment into Dalton, and then the fact that he had opted for Kurt to dorm at the school because it seemed like Lima in its entirety was not safe for him anymore. For Kurt, each declaration had been like a knife plunging and twisting in his stomach that returned to poke at the damage anytime Kurt dwelt upon the changes that he had to make in his life.

Instead of happily waving his father and his new wife off to their honeymoon, Kurt had been the one packing his belongings and stripping his bedroom of its most personal effects as he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that this was no longer his primary home. His dad had tried to make small talk on the way up here, but truly, all Kurt could do was stare blankly out of the window as the realisation that his dad would be making the return journey solo sank in. Which brought them to the present moment, with the pair of Hummels standing in a small, old fashioned room that seemed to have come straight out of a nineteenth century catalogue.

"Usually just the seniors get solo dorms," Burt explained, breaking the silence that had descended upon them. "But since it's so late in the term already they decided to put you here for now. There'll be a lottery at the end of the semester to choose roommates for the next one so come January you'll have a roommate. Until then I guess you're gonna have to make yourself some friends."

"I have friends."

"New ones," Burt amended, reaching out to take the bag Kurt had just been holding from his hand. "Kid," he said after a long moment, "look, buddy, I know you're not the happiest person in the world right now, and maybe you're a bit angry with me, but this is happening. You're here kiddo, and you – we're just going to have to make the best of this. I don't want this any more than you do kid. I wasn't supposed to help you leave home until you graduated, but things change. You're just not safe in Lima kiddo. At least here I know you're okay. You understand kid?"

He did. Kurt really did understand his father's reasoning for doing this. Karofsky's sexual assault and the backlash he had suffered once word got out around the school made McKinley, and even his home a dangerous place to be. Somehow the story had been spun around with Karofsky the unwitting victim to his lecherous ways, and no one could have stopped what had followed. His dad was right; getting him out of Lima was paramount for his own safety, but it didn't mean he had to like that fact.

"I don't want to be alone," he admitted, finally looking up at his father with slightly glassy eyes. "Dad, I just want to be home, arguing with Carole about who is making dinner and yelling at Finn for trying to change the channel during Project Runway. I don't want to be two hours away in a uniform with a bunch of rich, stuck up boys."

"From what you told me of Blaine that one time kid, he seems far from stuck up. He was the one who found out about that scholarship for you after all."

"You know what I mean," Kurt huffed.

Burt chuckled despite himself. Kurt rarely admitted he was wrong. It was a trait he had inherited from Elizabeth and it amused him now as much as it had with his stubborn, adorable wife.

"You're going to be fine, kid," Burt told him when his mirth had passed. "I know this isn't easy…it's not for me, trust me, but this has to happen. Oh bud, come here kiddo," he added when the shiny gleam in Kurt's eyes turned into outright tears at those words. Kurt came into his arms easily, and Burt held him tight, putting his chin on top of his head. "There there, you're okay kiddo. You can do this. It's just five days and then you get to come home for the weekend."

"That's too long," came Kurt's muffled voice.

And given the fact that the longest Kurt had been away from him was the occasional sleepover at Mercedes or Rachel's, he had to agree.

"And that's why I'm coming up here every Wednesday evening for dinner with you," Burt told him.

"What?" Kurt said, pulling back to look at him with incredulous eyes.

Burt shrugged. "You know how Larry comes up to Westerville every week to restock for the shop? Well, I've taken over that and I'm scheduling it all on Wednesdays. You get out of classes early then, don't cha? Good. Well then I am claiming your afternoon and evening. Every Wednesday you and me got a date with some crappy place in that Westerville mall."

Burt knew he had made the right decision when a smile broke out on Kurt's face before he nestled back into his chest.

"And of course I expect you to call at least every other day, and text me now and then. Carole too. Nothing's going to change just because you're not immediately home buddy. Now come on, let's unpack huh? I even packed you those pyjamas of mine you like to steal ever so often."

"Really?" Kurt asked, and Burt chuckled a few minutes later when Kurt unearthed the oversized (on his slender frame) red and black plaid pyjamas and hugged it to him. He had started stealing that from a very young age, and had at one time (at his very sickest) admitted that it smelled like him and made him feel that Burt was all around him, protecting him. Now, while Burt admittedly was not entirely sure how the faint smell of oil mixed with his Old Spice cologne could invoke such feelings, he wasn't going to complain, especially when, minutes before he left, Kurt changed into the pyjamas. Looking at him brought to mind his younger, vulnerable self and Burt's throat tightened as he hugged his boy goodbye. Gone were the days when he could actively protect his boy, and be his barrier against the world. No, he couldn't save his boy from all the bullies as he could have before, but at least now, for a little while, he could ensure that his little Kurt was safe and protected from the evils of the world and could live out the rest of his high school life in peace.

It made saying that final goodbye to him a lot easier, but Burt still had to wipe a stray tear away before he pulled out of the parking lot of the school, heart clenching at the realisation that he was leaving his little boy behind.


End file.
